Garage door construction



y 1943- w. D. FERRIS 2,318,991

GARAGE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 29, 1940 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v 7 J9INVEOR. BY: ll/alk'am/jfermb May 11, 1943. D. FERRIS 2,318,991

GARAGE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedMay 11, 1943 GARAGE DOOR CONSTRUCTION William D. Ferris, Sterling, 111.,assignor to Frantz Manufacturing 00.,

poration of Illinois Sterling, 111., a cor- Application July 29, 1940,Serial No. 348,097

Claims. (01. 20+-19) This invention relates to a garage doorconstruction of that kind in which the door is comswing back into itsnormal or vertical position i when closed.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved construction and arrangement involving a pair of pivotedsupporting arms for the door, combined with means on the inside or backof the door for pivotally mounting the other ends of the arms on thedoor, and having improved means whereby the distance between the twoarms may be changed or adjusted for doors of different Widths, or fordifl'erent distances between the side walls of the building on which thearms are mounted, or. for different distances between any suitablesupports upon which the arms are necessarily pivoted in order to supportthe door in its overhead or open position.

It is also an object to provide certain novel details and specificfeatures-of construction tending to increase the general efiiciency anddesira-- bility of a garage door construction of this particularcharacter.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists ofmatters hereinafter set forth and'claimed and shown in the accompanyaplane in rear of the door and its supporting 1 arms.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 22 in Fig. 1 of the drawings,showing one side of the building broken away for convenience ofillustration.

in Fig. 1 of the'drawings. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detailsection on line 44 in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of one of the pivot brackets that are mounted onthe back or inside of the door.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line B6 in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on line 3-3 of the drawings,showing the door in its open po-,

sition.

Fig. '7 is a similar view showing the door in its closed position.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional View, of

fragmentary character, on line 88 in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the units for mounting thehorizontal channel irons on the back or inside of the door, showing theparts thereof separated. a

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a rigid rectangular door Iarranged to have a Vertical position in the doorway, as shown in Fig. 7,when the door is in closed position.- When the door is in open position,it is substantially horizontal and overhead, as shown in Fig. 6 of thedrawings.

There are two pivoted supporting arms 2 and 2 at opposite sides of thedoorway, which are substantially horizontal when the door'is in closedposition, but which are more or less vertically disposed when the dooris in open position; One end of each arm is mounted on a stationarypivot 3 at one side of the doorway, and theother'end of each arm ispivoted on a U-shaped pivot bracket 4, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3and 4 of the drawings. The pivoting of these arms 2, which arepreferably of channel iron, on the brackets 4, is of specialimportance,- and is preferably as follows: Each'U-shaped bracket lhas apivot stud 5 permanently fastened to the outer end of the bracket by theriveted-over'inner end 6 of this stud. The latter has a shoulder '1 thatbears against the outer end of the bracket. The outer end of the stud isof maximum'diamet er and'forms a head which bears against the innersurface of the'channel iron arm 2, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of thedrawings. Each arm has an bearing is insured in the manufacture of thegarage door set or hardware. v

On the back or inside of the door, there are two horizontal channelirons 9, which arearranged in alignment at a distance about midwaybetween the upper and lower edges of the door. The adjacent ends of'thetwo channelirons 9 are clamped to the door by bracket plates I 0 whichare held in place by bolts which are adjustable to release or clamp thetwo channel irons. Near their outer ends; the two channel irons 9 areheld in place by guide brackets or bracket plates .11 that are held inplace by bolts l2 that are also adjustable to clamp or release the twochannel irons 9, which latter have their channels or hollow sidesagainst the door, as shown more clearly in Fig. 8 of the drawings.Trusslike braces l3 are fastened at their upper and lower ends, to theinside of the door, as shown in the drawings, and the bent middleportions of these trusslike braces bear against the middle portions ofthe brackets H, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. A long bolt l4extends out of each bracket H and through the adjacent brace l3 andthrough the saddle piece l5 and through the sleeve bolt l6 which servesto clamp the truss brace tightly in place at this point. For conveniencein bending, each truss brace, which is preferably of channel iron, maybe provided with notches H in its flanges, opposite the opening l8through which the sleeve nut l6 extends, as shown more clearly in Fig. 9of the drawings. The two U-shaped pivot brackets 4 are forced inside ofthe ends of the channel irons 9 and are held in place by machine boltsl9, which latter can be applied during the installation of the door.Thus, the channel irons 9 are adjustable endwise in the guide plates l6and II for the purpose specified.

Springs 29 are hitched to the arms 1 at one end, and tothe building atthe other end, to assist in raising the door into open position, and toease or cushion the closing movement of the door. Preferably, when thedoor rises into open position, the arms 2 strike the spring bumpers 2|that serve as stops to limit in a cushioning manner the opening movementof the door.

Parallel and substantially horizontal tracks 22 are provided on thebuilding at opposite sides of the doorway, and the upper end of the dooris provided with rolls or wheels 23 for engagement with said tracks,whereby the latter guide the door in its opening and closing movementsand cooperate with the arms 2 to support the door in its overhead openposition.

Thus a very simple, yet eifective,set of hardware for a garage door isprovided for the installation of the door in the doorway of thebuilding.

What I claim as my invention is: I

1. In a garage door construction in combination with a frame forming adoor opening, a rigid door adapted when closed to occupy a substantiallyvertical position with respect to said opening and to shift to anoverhead open position, a plurality of transverse horizontally elongatedrigid supports adjustably mounted on the inside face of said door inalignment with each other, whereby the ends of said supports can projectbeyond the side edges of the door, guide brackets mounted on the doorincluding means to clamp said supports in adjusted position so that theends of said supports may project varying distances beyond the opposededges of thedoor, whereby to accommodate doors of different widths orfor differences in clearance between the side of the door and theadjoining side wall at the opposite sides of the door, a pair of arms,one disposed at each side of the door, one end of each arm beingpivotally mounted on a fixed anchorage at the side and rearwardly of thedoor and the opposite ends of said arm being pivotally mounted to anadjacent end of one of said rigid elongated supports, spring meansoperative in closed position of said door tending to shift said door toan overhead open position and strut means engaging upper and lowerportions of the door above and below said elongated supports andsubstantially at the outer edge portions of said door, means mounted onsaid guide brackets for releasably clamping said strut members thereto,said releasable engagement of the strut means with said guide bracketscomprising means to permit said elongated supports to be adjustablyshifted in a direction longitudinally of said elongated supports andrelatively to the door.

2. In combination with a frame providing a door opening, a rigid dooradapted in vertical position to close the same, said door beingshiftable to substantially horizontal overhead open position, a pair oftracks for said frame and rollers on said door adapted to move in saidtracks, a pair of stationary supports on opposite sides of the doorsubstantiallymidway of the height of the door, an arm pivotally mountedto each of said stationary supports, spaced guide means mounted on theinside face of said door substantially midway of its height and spacedacross said door, a plurality of channel-shaped members slidably andadjustably mounted in said spaced guide means with the open face of eachchannel facing toward the inside" face of said door, means for clampingsaid guide means in adjusted position, a pair of brackets nesting in theouter end of each channel-shaped member, there being means for fasteningsaid brackets to the ends of said members, a pivotal connection betweeneach bracket and the outer end of each of said pivotal arms, springmeans normally urging said door from vertically closed position to anopen overhead position. and vertically disposed strut means extendingvertically of the door and carried by said guide means, the upper andlower ends of said strut means being anchored to the door and means foradjustably tightening said strut means independently of the clampingaction of said guide means.

3. In combination with a frame providing a door opening, a rigid dooradapted in vertical position to close the same, said door beingshiftable' to substantially horizontal overhead open position, a pair ofoverhead tracks on said frame and rollers on said door engaging saidtracks, a pair of stationary supports on opposite sides and rearwardlyof the door substantially midway of the height thereof, an arm pivotallymounted on each of' said stationary supports, spaced guide means mountedon the inside face of said door substantially midway of its height andspaced across said door, a plurality of channel-shaped members slidablymounted insaid spaced guide means with the open face of said membersfacing toward the inside face of said door, means form'- ing a pivotalconnection between the outer? end of each of said members and the outerends' of each of said pivotal arms, spring means normally urging saiddoor from vertically closed position to an open overhead position, strutmeans dis! posed on the inside face of the door and extending verticallyof the door when the door isin closed position, said strut means beingfastened to spaced upper and lower portions of the door when in closedposition and means carried by certain of the guide means and. engagingsubstantially the middle portion of said strut means and releasablyclamping the same with respect to said guide means, whereby to rigidifythedoor while permitting the adjustability of said memberslongitudinally of themselves and with-respect to the door.

4. In combination with a frame having ado'o'r opening, a rigid doortherefor, track and roller means engaging the frame of the door to guidethe same, a pair of arms having one end of each pivoted to stationarysupports, a pair of elongated channel members, guide means on the rearface of the door forming brackets to overlie the elongated channelmembers, certain of said guide means being disposed substantially midwayof the vertical face of the door when the latter is in closed position,said certain guide means having adjusting means for clamping the channelmembers in position on the door, the inner walls of which guide meansare adapted to engage said channel members, said guide means forming amounting for a threaded member extending outwardly from said guidemeans, an elongated strut fastened to upper and lower portions of theouter edge of the door on opposite sides of said channel members, theintermediate portions of said strut means having a lug adaptedthreadedly to engage the threaded member of each of said bracketswhereby the central portion of each strut is clamped to the outerportion of a guide member.

5. In combination with a frame, an opening, a one-piece door therefordisposed vertically in closed position and substantially horizontal atopen overhead position, track means on the frame and roller means on thedoor engaging said track means, rigidifying means extending when thedoor is in closed position horizontally across the door midway of itsheight, guide means for mounting said rigidifying means on the rear faceof the door, whereby to permit said rigidifying means to project varyingdistances beyond the vertical side edges of the door when the door is inclosed position, strut means mounted on the rear face of the door and onsaid guide means at a substantial angle to said rigidifying means andconnected to remotely disposed portions of the door on opposite sides ofthe rigidifying means and releasable clamping means interconnecting thestrut means with the guide means, whereby to provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the rigidifying means and a pivotal connectionbetween the outer ends of the rigidifying means and pivoted arms, theopposite ends of said arms being pivotally mounted with respect tostationary anchorages disposed on said frame about midway of the heightand rearwardly of the door when the door is in closed position, andspring means tending to cause the door to assume open overhead position.

WILLIAM D. FERRIS.

